Putin ally tells top Chinese diplomat: We back Beijing against West

Feb 21 (Reuters) – The secretary of Russia’s highly effective Safety Council informed China’s high diplomat Wang Yi on Tuesday that Beijing was a high precedence for Russian international coverage and that the 2 international locations should stick collectively in opposition to the West, Russian state information companies reported.

Nikolai Patrushev, a detailed ally of President Vladimir Putin, additionally informed Wang that Moscow backed China’s place over Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, in line with an announcement cited by the RIA Novosti information company.

The 2 have been assembly in Moscow as China seems to be ramping up its diplomatic efforts to push for a peace settlement in Ukraine, and simply hours after Putin introduced Russia was suspending its participation in a landmark nuclear arms treaty with the USA.

“Within the context of a marketing campaign that’s being waged by the collective West to comprise each Russia and China, additional deepening of Russian-Chinese language cooperation and interplay within the worldwide space is of explicit significance,” RIA cited Patrushev as saying throughout the assembly on Tuesday night.

“I wish to affirm our continued help for Beijing over the problems of Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong,” Patrushev added.

Putin and Chinese language President Xi Jinping signed a “no limits” strategic partnership simply days earlier than Russia invaded Ukraine final February, and Moscow has talked up its shut ties with Beijing, which it sees as a companion in a strong anti-Western tandem.

However Putin was compelled final yr to publicly acknowledge Xi had considerations over Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Whereas Putin used a serious speech on Tuesday to stipulate his dedication to securing a Russian victory in Ukraine, Xi is anticipated to make a “peace speech” in China on Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Wang was additionally resulting from meet Russian Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday as a part of the go to to Moscow – the newest cease in a European tour – and the Kremlin has not dominated out a potential assembly with Putin.

Reporting by Jake Cordell; enhancing by Man Faulconbridge

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